FAQs

About Chef Inside

Why Chef Inside?

We understand the pressure to make a wholesome, delicious meal for your family. That is even if you can come up with an idea of what to make to please everyone. But who has time to cook from scratch every single night? It’s not realistic to spend more than an hour of your time hunched over the stove. Chef Inside delivers fully cooked family-favorite meals that can be served in an average of 15 minutes.

How is Chef Inside different?

Our chefs built and designed each and every meal with you and your time in mind. We also manufacture virtually every component of EVERY meal for you so we can assure the quality will exceed your standards. Most other meal kit companies source their ingredients from a variety of other companies and just assemble them for you – expecting you to chop, slice and dice. We do all of this plus the cook time to ensure preparation time is kept short and simple!

Do I need a subscription?

Unlike most meal kits, Chef Inside is not a subscription service. No need to worry about skipping a week of meals or canceling your membership. You can order Chef Inside whenever it’s convenient for you. We are ready when you are ready – consider us your own personal chef!

How much does Chef Inside cost?

Priced at $6.95 per serving, Chef Inside serves a family of four for less than the cost of a fast food meal. With at least four servings per meal, that brings the total to $27.80, making us Chicagoland’s low-cost leader in the delivery meal kit marketplace.

When can I order meals?

Orders must be in by Friday 12 p.m. CST so Chef Inside can ensure your custom order is ready for delivery the next week on Monday.

How many meals can I order at once?

You must select 4 meals in order to complete one weekly Chef Inside transaction. If you’d like to make more than one purchase, you will have to make a separate transaction. Your 4 meals will arrive all together in one shipment. Each week, you can mix and match 4 meals from our featured offerings of Standard Meals and Express Meals. The meals are designed to feed at least 4 people.

What are “Express Meal” options?

We make your time our top priority. In order to make dinner even simpler on the most hectic nights, we offer special Express Meals to choose from each week. These dishes provide you and your family with bountiful microwaveable meals in less than 10 minutes. Express Meals are identified with lightning bolt symbols on our website.

What’s inside each box?

Your box will include all 4 meals you’ve chosen for the week. Each individual meal kit will include all the ingredients you need to prepare each recipe inside. Ingredients are individually packed to ensure freshness and are pre-portioned and fully cooked to cut down on preparation time. You’ll also receive recipe cards with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

Do you offer breakfasts, lunches and desserts?

Not at the moment, but we may offer those options in the future!

Cooking & Ingredients

How should I store my meals?

Once your meals are delivered, you should refrigerate them as soon as possible. Our meals come crust chilled, keeping them cool in your unopened delivery box at room temperature (i.e., 70 degrees Fahrenheit) until 8 p.m. CST on the delivery day.

How long are meals good for?

The Chef Inside meals are designed for you to enjoy within 5 days of receiving them as noted on the box inside flap label. We advise this time frame because the meals are considered fully cooked, and we want to provide the best eating experience for you and your family.

What cooking materials will I need?

We list every cooking tool you will need on the recipe instruction cards that come with your meal kit. We kept the list to just a few items needed per meal that every kitchen should have on hand. We know your time is precious, and cleaning should be next to none, too.

How long will it take to serve each meal?

The amount of time to prepare each meal can be found on the individual website product information pages, as well as the recipe instruction cards that come with your delivery. Standard Meals will take no more than 25 minutes from the box to your table. Express Meals will take no more than 10 minutes.

How many servings are in each meal?

While each meal provides enough food to serve at least 4 people, most meals contain portion sizes large enough for leftovers as well. And who doesn’t love leftovers?! We strive to make sure the amount of food in each meal will always be more than expected – definitely no need to snack after consuming a Chef Inside meal!

Do you provide nutritional information for each meal?

Yes! To view this information, click on the meal you’d like to order and then click on the nutritional information link. This will open a window with the Nutrition Facts Panel and ingredient statement. The ingredient statement is also listed on the inside flap of each individual meal kit you receive.

Where do you source your ingredients from?

We provide fresh-forward ingredients approved by our executive chefs and quality assurance team. Other than your time, food safety is our company’s number one priority. All of our suppliers go through a stringent supplier approval process in order to assure only the highest quality products are used in our meals.

Can you accommodate food allergies?

Our ingredients are handled in facilities that process milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, gluten and sulfites. When it comes to dietary restrictions, we think you are the best judge. To help make as informed a decision as possible, every recipe includes a breakdown of its ingredients, nutritional information and any of the eight major allergens affecting that meal as recognized by the FDA.

What should I do if there’s an issue with one of my ingredients?

If you received your order and something is missing or incorrect, we apologize for the inconvenience and ask you to please contact our support team here. (link to Contact)

Delivery & Packaging

Where does Chef Inside deliver?

We deliver throughout the Chicagoland area. Enter your zip code into the delivery locator on our website to check if we serve your neighborhood. If we do not deliver to your area, we hope to be there soon!

What does crust chilled mean?

As soon as we fully cook your meal, we immediately bring the temperature down to just above fully frozen for each of the products in order to preserve their freshness and flavor.

What if I’m not home when my meal kit is delivered?

We expect this! We know your time should be spent doing something more fulfilling than waiting on a delivery. Meals are packed to stay cold from delivery until 8 p.m. CST on the delivery day. If you cannot make it home before then, we recommend calling a neighbor to refrigerate your meals for you.

Are my packaging materials recyclable?

Chef Inside is proud to use recyclable packaging materials! We give you the gift of time, so we try our very best to do the same for our planet as well. Unfortunately, we have to make a few sacrifices in order to ensure food safety for you and your family. As we continue to search for alternative, innovative packaging options, below are our items are recyclable or reusable elsewhere:

Recycle: Remove the labels from the outer shipping box and individual meal boxes in order to properly recycle. The recipe cards and food bags can all be recycled normally at home.

Reduce: The gel ice packs are 100% non-toxic. If you choose not to reuse the ice packs, create an incision in each pack to empty and rinse out the contents using running hot water. Then, you can recycle the outer packaging normally.

Reuse: Our liner keeps your meals crust chilled until you’re able to refrigerate them. It is non-toxic and reusable. However, it cannot be recycled normally.